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Wynne distances herself from predecessor as scandal widens

The Canadian Press

Published: March 27, 2014 - 4:14 PM

TORONTO — Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has distanced herself from her predecessor, former premier Dalton McGuinty, following police allegations one of his staffers may have committed breach of trust.

Police allege in an unsealed search warrant that they believe that David Livingston, McGuinty’s chief of staff, gave an outside tech expert access to 24 computers in the premier’s office.

The search warrant — which contains allegations not proven in court — was part of a provincial police probe of the deletion of government emails about two gas plants that were cancelled by the Liberals ahead of the 2011 election.

The investigation was launched last June after the Opposition Conservatives complained that gas plant emails were intentionally deleted by senior staff in McGuinty’s office.

Wynne says that if the latest allegations are true, they are “very disturbing”, adding that that is not the way a government and a premier’s office should operate.